Jacek Kuroń Park and Mini Zoo in Sosnowiec

In the 1960s miners from the Kazimierz-Juliusz colliery, scouts and local residents of Kazimierz Górniczy gave up their free time to drain marshland here, shape the banks of the ponds and plant trees. The result was the Leśna sports and leisure centre – today Jacek Kuroń Park in Sosnowiec. Its roughly 35 hectares hold a mini zoo, the Leśna pond, the "Muszelka" amphitheatre, a skatepark and a brine graduation tower.

History: from marsh to park

The idea for the centre emerged in 1958. The State Forests handed over 11.31 hectares of land, and the plan approved in 1960 included a swimming pool, a funfair and a water sports centre. The ground was boggy, with overgrown ponds called Pieniążek, Posadzka and Zalew Cygański, so work began with drainage and levelling. Construction of an amphitheatre for around 3,000 spectators started in 1965, and in 1969 the volunteer building committee founded the mini zoo. The facilities declined in the 1990s; in 2011 the park was named after Jacek Kuroń, a leading figure of the Solidarity-era democratic opposition, and the memorial stone at the entrance was unveiled by former prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Andrzej Kuroń, among others.

What to see

• The mini zoo, with more than 30 animal species including a red-necked wallaby, Anglo-Nubian goats, fallow deer, Barbary sheep, emus and peafowl.
• The Leśna pond, about 4.5 hectares, with a small island and footbridges; the Smug pond lies at the northern edge of the park.
• The "Muszelka" amphitheatre, modernised in 2018–2019 for about PLN 6.9 million.
• A skatepark from 2012, built where the old swimming pool basins used to be.
• The playground garden of 1.41 hectares (the largest in Sosnowiec), a rope park, an outdoor fitness zone for seniors and a brine graduation tower from 2021, funded by the city's participatory budget.

Nature

The park's trees are what remains of the original forest. Black alders and silver birches grow by the water, with hornbeams and oaks further away, as well as limes, pines, ashes, maples and beeches. Many bird and amphibian species live around the ponds, and to the north the park borders the Sulna woods in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Tripto tip

The park lies in the eastern part of Sosnowiec, on the border with Dąbrowa Górnicza. Its address is ul. Armii Krajowej 94, with a second way in from ul. Anki Kowalskiej (formerly Brunona Jasieńskiego). There is free parking, and since 2020 a city bike station (now the Metropolitan Bike scheme) has operated at the entrance. Cycle paths and inline-skating routes run along the alleys, and the green-marked PTTK 25th Anniversary Trail crosses the park. Allow 2–3 hours for a walk with children and a visit to the mini zoo.